Both the Bibleworks 5 and Scholar's Library software
packages have more resources than most pastors or Bible scholars could
ever use. They are clearly intended more for academic study than for
practical use by a pastor or church-school teacher as a resource for
preparing a sermon or a lesson for a church-school class. But they
certainly could be used for such purposes by a discerning and
disciplined pastor or teacher. In fact, one could easily get lost in
the sea of data available at one's fingertips.

Both resources have introductory videos that are easy to understand
and a variety of menu possibilities for the preacher or scholar. In BibleWorks
5, for example, there is the choice of working in one of three
different modes: Beginner, Standard, or Power User. The Beginner mode
allows one to perform simple searches of a given text, word, or
comparison of the same passage in various translations or languages.
The Standard mode provides everything the Beginner mode does, plus
additional search criteria and the option of typing in other key words
or phrases. The Power User mode offers even more functions, such as
automatic font changes when entering Greek or Hebrew text.

BibleWorks 5 provides an easy-to-read user manual and an
option during installation to customize the number of versions
(translations) and languages the user will have available; there are
28 different languages and over 90 Bible translations to choose from.
In addition to the basic text material there are lexicons in Greek and
Hebrew (with English or other language interpretations) as well as
eight different reference works that could help a preacher or teacher
find useful material to enrich a given text or passages of Scripture.

Scholar's Library is intended more for serious research
than for the weekly preparation of a sermon or lesson. It certainly
does provide an integrated digital library of books and other resource
articles from various magazines and small group resources. However, Scholar's
Library is part of the Logos Bible Software Series and tends to
favor conservative and pietistic understandings of the Jewish and
Christian manifestations of religious beliefs. For instance, the Bible
Study section is geared primarily toward a position of biblical
literalism. The Theology section has strong emphasis on the Moody
Handbook of Theology. Many of the resources are from Leadership
Journal and Christianity Today International.

Scholar's Library is more expensive than the BibleWorks
5 package; at press time, their respective Web sites offered
prices of $599.95 for Scholar's Library, versus $299.95 for
the full version of BibleWorks 5 ($125.00 for the upgrade). But
for the pastor who wants to engage in rigorous Bible research as a
foundation for preaching and teaching ministries it may well be worth
the additional cost, especially when one considers the wide variety of
resources that it includes-such as materials for prayer, devotion,
and small groups, as well as the Leadership Library Series and the
Mastering Ministry Series.

Either software package more than adequately provides basic
biblical research materials to enhance the preaching and ministry of a
pastor or teacher.